For all of the convenience that motor vehicles create in modern society, they come with burdensome costs. The individual costs associated with vehicle ownership pale in comparison to the societal impact of motor vehicle collisions.
Crashes are a leading cause of fatalities and severe personal injuries in the United States. People can lose limbs, suffers spinal cord injuries or develop a traumatic brain injury because of what occurs during a car crash. Such injuries can require medical support that costs thousands of dollars a month.
If a member of your family recently suffered a catastrophic injury in a crash, you likely have questions about how to afford their long-term care. What options do you have?
Car insurance can help
Every driver should have insurance on their vehicle that will contribute toward the costs created in a motor vehicle collision. Liability coverage allows those harmed in a crash to bring a claim against the policy carried by the person at fault for the wreck.
However, such claims are subject to policy limits that may be a fraction of what catastrophic injuries cost. There is also the small but concerning possibility that the driver who causes your loved one’s injuries won’t have insurance at all.
Personal injury claims
When a driver doesn’t have insurance or has a bad policy and yet causes hundreds of thousands of dollars in estimated lifetime medical expenses, the people affected by their actions can hold them liable. A personal injury lawsuit allows those hurt in a crash to claim any costs not covered by the insurance provided by the person at fault for the wreck.
The more severe the injuries and the more egregious the misconduct or negligence of the party at fault for the crash, the better the chances of a successful lawsuit.
Workers’ compensation benefits
Quite a few people have to drive as part of their job. If your loved one who requires long-term care was on their way to a service call or picking up a co-worker from the airport while clocked in at work, they could receive workers’ compensation benefits.
The available benefits include disability pay while someone remains unable to work and medical coverage. Especially when someone requires long-term care, it often becomes necessary to look into every available option for compensation.
Reviewing the details of the car crash that left your loved one in need of constant medical support will help you plan how to pay for their care costs.